These Precious Moments
by OtakuFangirlCrazyArtist
Summary: Ukitake and Urahara are happily together, but what will happen when Urahara must leave because of a mysterious Hollowfication experiment? Set in the general area of TBTP. Yaoi.


A/N: Now, I know this pairing isn't much loved (or thought of) but it truly is adorable, so give it a chance please. This was written because of an RP post given by HPontopoftheworld. 8D Thank you!!!!! for your inspiration. SO, here it is! My first Ukihara n.n Review please!

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These Precious Moments

Urahara Kisuke spotted Ukitake Juushiro from afar and picked up his leisurely pace a bit to reach the other captain. The late-afternoon sun shone bright and the day was rather muggy. This kind of weather made Kisuke wish he had a hat. One that would enhance his handsome features. And it would have to have a brim, to keep the sun out of his eyes. Maybe a green one, or white. Or black, that would look mysterious...

His daydream continued until he was almost at his destination. The Twelfth Captain made the rest of his lazy way over to where Juushiro was pruning bonsai. Kisuke grinned as he watched the other man work. He found that "old man hobby" of Juushiro's to be adorable.

The Thirteenth Captain was absorbed in his more-or-less artful activity and didn't look up as Kisuke came up behind him. The blonde man wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and rested his chin on the pale captain's shoulder.

"What'cha doing?" Kisuke asked.

"Pruning..." Juushiro muttered in response. He made a few more adjustments to his strange-looking plant and then set the clippers aside. He turned his head to grin at the man hugging him. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sounds great."

The two sat in the shade of a large decorative red maple and sipped from their mugs of steaming liquid. Kisuke carefully tested it with his tongue and recoiled quickly, spluttering as the tea burned him. He shook his head rapidly from side to side to rid himself of the sensation. Juushiro stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing at the pitiful look on Kisuke's face.

"Sorry... I should have warned you... It was hot..." He managed to say. Kisuke glared playfully at him for a moment before setting his cup carefully on the grass. Maybe he would wait a bit to drink the tea.

Juushiro grinned, sipped his drink contentedly and inquired after the other man's day. The conversation was light and friendly, interspersed with the subtle touches of two people who show their affections out of the public eye. They talked until Kisuke finished his tea and dusk fell. As it did, Juushiro put away his plants carefully and they retreated to Ugendou. The two couldn't fit in Kisuke's room because of the mess.

Once inside, Juushiro sat at the low table and Kisuke plopped lazily next to him. The white-haired man put an arm around the other man and pulled Kisuke against him. Kisuke looked up at him and murmured;

"Hey there."

"Hello." Juushiro replied with a smile. Kisuke laid his head against Juushiro's and closed his eyes contentedly. They stayed like that for a long few minutes, each enjoying the closeness and warmth of the other.

"Juu... Why do you think souls are disappearing?"

"I don't know..." he answered after a moment of thought, "I hope we find out soon, though."

"So do I. I'd hate to think this could start affecting Soul Reapers."

"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of it before it gets that far." Juushiro closed the small distance between their faces and kissed Kisuke gently. The blonde man kissed him back and wrapped his arms around the pale, slender neck to twine his fingers through the silky white hair. "I promise..." Juushiro whispered against the soft lips. Kisuke nodded slowly and opened his eyes to meet his lover's. The warm hazel orbs gazed down at him reassuringly and Kisuke felt his worry melting away.

Kisuke touched his lips against Juushiro's again and the other man pulled him closer so that their forms were pressed together. Their mouths moved in blissful synchronization for a minute until they broke away slowly.

Kisuke grinned. "You're pretty convincing..."

Juushiro grinned back. "Thank you."

The two Captains talked until the moon was high in the black velvet heavens. When, finally, they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer; they went to bed and fell asleep in each other's arms. It was another of their perfect days together and they planned to spend each one the same way.

~*~*~*~*~

Juushiro stood in the meeting hall, surrounded by half the Captains who had been there yesterday. Kisuke's absence was especially shocking, causing him to lose focus every few seconds as the empty space across from him drew his eyes and mind. He forced himself, yet again, to pay attention to what Yamamoto-sensei was saying.

"The captains you see missing here have been Hollowfied," Yamamoto began, causing murmurs to circulate through the room; "That is, all the captains here except Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi. Urahara was the one who Hollowfied them. He has been stripped of his powers and sent to the human world. Shihouin Yoruichi has disappeared. The captains who were unwilling participants in that vile experiment have been killed like the Hollows Central 46 deemed them to be."

Juushiro felt nausea flip through his stomach. The lack of humanity and justice in that sentence made him sick. And Kisuke couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, could he? It wasn't possible. He wasn't that kind of person. Unless it had all been a lie... No. It couldn't have been. It wasn't possible.

The realization that Juushiro had lost his partner, his veritable other half, crashed down on him as he walked home. It caused him to stop in the middle of the deserted road and bury his face in his hands. He wished he could go look for Kisuke but it was impossible. Utterly impossible for them to ever meet again. That thought caused him more pain than he could have imagined possible. It would take him a long time to heal, if he could at all. So at that moment, Juushiro prepared himself to live alone for the rest of his possibly shortened life.

~*~*~*~*~

Juushiro walked through Karakura town; the little place really was beautiful. And high in reishi, too. There could be many spiritual beings lurking here. Maybe Kisuke was here... No. Juushiro couldn't allow himself to have any hope of seeing him again.

So the white-haired man distracted himself with the complex, industrial scenery and thoughts of his mission. He was here to watch over the town for a few weeks. No one was quite sure why Yamamoto had assigned this, but each captain had to go. It just so happened that Juushiro was one of the first.

No matter how hard he tried to stop them, Juushiro's thoughts meandered back to his former partner. After Kisuke had disappeared, Juushiro had never found interest in anyone else, could never love anyone as much or in the same way. He had tried, once. But he just couldn't let Kisuke go; and he couldn't be with someone if he was always wishing for the blonde to return.

Juushiro wandered rather aimlessly, killing a Hollow every so often. Finally, he came upon a soul who needed a Konsou. He pressed his zanpakuto's hilt to the young woman's forehead and as she disappeared, Juushiro felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and heard a drawling voice in his ear.

"What'cha doing?"

Juushiro gasped in surprise and turned his head to see a much-changed Kisuke Urahara. The hair was exactly the same, though half of it was hidden by a striped hat that would probably look silly on anyone else. He wore all green, a color that suited him much better then black and white ever had. He looked mysterious, especially because his bright blue eyes were shaded by the brim of his hat. For some reason he couldn't quite place, it bothered Juushiro that Kisuke was hiding his eyes. Still, it was definitely him. The man he'd loved and suffered over for so long.

Juushiro turned to face the man. They stared at each other for a moment before the former captain pulled Juushiro close to him. Automatically, the Thirteenth captain embraced him and Kisuke buried his face in the white-clad shoulder. Juushiro held him tight, not caring about anything but this unexpected reunion.

Juushiro breathed in deeply; Kisuke smelled just as he always had, a combination of oak and musk. The hair under the hat had the same coarse texture as Juushiro toyed with the ends. Kisuke was shaking slightly in his arms and Juushiro pulled away slightly to look down at him.

Kisuke's eyes were hidden frustratingly and Juushiro gently tugged the hat from his head. He breathed in sharply at the look in those cerulean eyes. There was love and hurt and sorrow and a hint of fear all mixed together in those eyes. They had always been the most expressive he'd ever seen and that had not changed. He gently cupped Kisuke's face with one hand and smiled, trying to make the blonde's pain melt away.

"I missed you," Kisuke whispered.

"I missed you too," Juushiro murmured back, "I'm glad you're alive. I was worried."

"I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye. I wanted to, but..."

"It's okay. I understand." Juushiro pulled Kisuke close again. He couldn't get enough of the man's presence. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Kisuke drew in a deep, shaky breath. "I thought I'd never see you again. This is quite the surprise."

Juushiro chuckled softy. "I thought the same. I'm glad we met here."

Kisuke nodded into his shoulder. They were comfortably silent for a minute before Kisuke voiced the question weighing on both their minds.

"What are we going to do now?"

"I'll come see you every time I have the chance," Juushiro promised.

"Sounds good. I can't ask you to live with me, anyway."

"Hmm... Maybe I could..."

"No, Souls Society needs you."

"But do you need me more?"

Kisuke sighed. "I do need you. But I can't take you away from everyone there. They'd come after me." he grinned.

Juushiro laughed. "I don't know about that."

"You're well-loved, Juu. You just don't realize it."

"I guess I just don't notice." he shrugged.

Kisuke grinned again and tilted his head up to kiss Juushiro. Their lips melted together perfectly, just as they always had. Juushiro pulled the ex-captain closer still, so close Kisuke could feel the man's heartbeat pounding in time with his own. When they broke away, Kisuke murmured;

"Did you notice that?'

"Definitely." Juushiro chuckled breathlessly.

"See, you notice these things."

"Only when they're very obvious."

Both laughed ad Kisuke deftly pucked his hat from Juushiro's finger and plopped it back on his own head. They began to make their way to Urahara's shop, where Juushiro would spend the next few days.

The two saw each other sporadically over the decades and each meeting was precious. Though they had limited time, they never rushed or worried about how much longer they had or if this would be the last time. They said goodbye as though it was permanent, and said hello like they'd been apart for centuries. Though they knew it wouldn't last, they had the happiness of those who would never be apart.


End file.
